Most of us have bookmarked the home page of CFS and we jump right to that instead of looking at the general disclaimer page. That page, if I remember correctly, instructs law enforcement that they are not "allowed" to use this site. But of course... we all know that doesn't stop them. Most of us have seen CFS splashed on our local news every time a cruise area is busted.
Personally, I'd blame the idiots who post LOCATIONS of public places that are risky -- or those who post suggestions for NEW locations that are in close proximity to residential areas or community gathering spots like parks and beaches where everyone is welcome to come and bring their family. Lots of times on CFS we get dudes trying to spark interest in a new place. In my experience, these attempts always fail. I've gone to a few suggested spots and was horrified to see they were located near a playground or smack in the middle of a residential area or something. One look and I could tell these places would NEVER become cruisy -- and clearly, anyone else who scoped them out would see the same.
Seems to me that the cops generally leave the bookstores alone, with certain exceptions. A bookstore actually opened up here in town recently -- gloryholes and booths and everything. I was amazed to hear of this. But I was NOT surprised to find out the cops were busted everyone who went in there. NOTHING happens here anymore. It EXISTS, but that's it. I will NOT set foot in that place. This town needs several more years and many more bookstores to establish themselves before the cops would leave them be.
Most of the time, based on my own experience, cops ignore the bookstores and bathhouses because these places keep dudes from cruising the streets and other, more public areas. ABS booths are GENERALLY safe most of the time, as are bathhouses which tend to enforce security measures and restrict access to members who sign a form stating they are aware of the nature of the establishment. This cannot keep vice away for sure, but it DOES help.
But when dudes start being obnoxious about cruising in public places, outdoors, in view of citizens who don't want to encounter that kind of stuff -- the cops react. Sometimes the cops know what is going on simply from their own observations. Sometimes they get complaints. Remember, WE can pick out cruisy areas with relative ease -- cops are taught what to look for, too. Suspicious activity is easy to spot...
Cops DO tend to raid open theaters playing XXX porn -- think Pee Wee Herman, that kind of thing. But booths and baths and private places... generally they are left alone, so I don't see much harm in posting reviews of these well-known places. But posting our "secret" outdoor spots... yeah, that's just dumb.
The intent of CFS, of course, is to promote sexual freedom, but at the same time, the site has always provided us with the proper cautionary advice. The things is -- many dudes don't bother to READ any of that.
Adults posting sexual requests to other adults -- well, there really isn't any good chance that the cops are going to bother with that, answering a post and showing up to bust some dude in his own home for wanting male to male sex with another consenting adult. This is a court case just waiting to be LOST. Screening message boards for pedophiles -- I have no problem with that, though I do believe the general societal consensus these days vastly overstates the online pedophile problem. Yet at the same time... ONE pedophile is enough, right?
I think there IS a connection between frequent busts and closures of cruising places due to sites like CFS and others. But I also believe that even if these sites did not exist, we'd STILL be seeing a massive crackdown at this time. I mean... if "they" can clean up Times Square... is NOTHING sacred anymore? The push to sanitize cities and towns is a big deal right now... and it's very sad, if you ask me.
For those who haven't noticed, there is an unspoken "war" against queers going on these days. The "war on drugs" has been all but forgotten, having failed miserably. The "war on terror" is now "the fight against global extremism," or whatever new name the Bush administration has put on it for a more positive spin. But nary a day goes by that we don't hear SOMETHING about gays on the news. NO ONE will admit that the cultural divide is getting worse -- but it is. "The Fab Five" and "Will And Grace" haven't done much to change the minds of those who despise us. I sure can't imagine a gay-basher or homophobe suddenly starting to become "understanding" because he is amused by the flaming antics of a character like Jack McFarland, right? Or changing his mind to think we might not be so bad after all because we know how to decorate a messy room and pick out decent clothes...
There are only two groups left that are immune from the mandates of political correctness: gays and fat people. It is STILL OK to make fun of those two groups. And the fat people are making bigger strides than we are lately, too!
So... nah, I think the push toward "cleaner" cities and towns would be in full force even WITHOUT sites like CFS.
HOWEVER... since we KNOW what is going on, WE should be smarter than to give out all our secrets online! All we are doing is making their job EASIER for them. Probably they'd find our cruising areas no matter what -- but if we'd just SHUT UP about them, we would avoid drawing undo attention!
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